


The Greatest

by ExpressAndAdmirable



Series: The Heroes of Light [41]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, Final Fantasy I
Genre: Alcohol, Bards Being Bards, Dancing, Dancing Lessons, F/F, Gen, Slice of Life, Tiefling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-27 10:56:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13246755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExpressAndAdmirable/pseuds/ExpressAndAdmirable
Summary: Lux can't keep still, Wil can't keep his mouth shut, Morgan can't contain her excitement.





	The Greatest

**Author's Note:**

> Response to the “ ♦: Slow dancing ” prompt from Morgan's player, taken from [this prompt list](https://expressandadmirable.tumblr.com/post/164709227549/nonsexual-acts-of-intimacy-select-from-the).

Lux had never been particularly good at doing nothing. Her hands and mind wandered too easily for quiet meditation or keeping a thorough watch. What she _did_ excel at, however, was keeping busy, which had proven to be a surprisingly useful skill on their journey. For every hour spent exploring a sewer or a tower or doing battle with the forces of darkness, there were three times as many spent lounging on the deck of the Platinum Dawn, and each Hero of Light had developed their own ways to pass the time. Morgan tinkered in the cabin she had turned into a workshop, building a clockwork pig that trotted about while she built smaller toys. Wilhelm read or chatted with Osaid for as long as he could follow the wizard’s meandering conversations. Maergrahn meditated or swam or sparred with Grummer and Feldon. Sol joined them on occasion, when she wasn’t feeling ill (though given how unsettlingly calm the sea had been the past few weeks, Lux was beginning to think her dajyr’s seasickness was at least partially psychosomatic). For her own part, when none of her smaller projects or activities appealed to her, Lux was always content to play.

With three discrete instruments and magical accompaniment at her disposal, she found herself revisiting music she had learned in her youth. Song by song, she deconstructed rhythms and rebuilt harmonies to create complex compositions that were still recogniseable, yet entirely her own. Once she had committed the new pieces to memory, she released them with magic as she had seen Mourat do so many times, providing her own illusory orchestra as she played the melody on violin or lute. The Old Man would be proud.

When Sol was wakeful, Lux practiced her craft in or near their little topside tent; if the Drow needed to nap through another wave of nausea, she took to wandering. The ship’s high stern allowed her to drift her notes out to sea, though it also provided a stunning view of the sunset in the evenings, and she often found Morgan or Grummer enjoying the fading colours when she mounted the curved wooden steps. None of her companions seemed to mind the music floating in their direction, but she was mindful nonetheless, never approaching closely unless they seemed particularly receptive. More often than not, she simply opted for an unoccupied section of deck and played to her heart’s content.

Day four of the voyage from Melmond to Crescent Lake passed without much fanfare. Dinner that evening was hearty and heavily spiced, another recipe Grummer had brought with him from his time in the desert. Sol returned immediately to the tent to ensure the meal remained within; the rest of the party dispersed from the galley shortly after. Retrieving her violin and a half-full bottle of bourbon from their rarely-used cabin, Lux selected an open spot towards the bow to serve as her dusky stage. She finished her cigarette, unstoppered the alcohol, set her instrument under her chin and turned the delicate pegs.

She started aimlessly, letting the notes form into what they would, and she soon found herself remembering one of the first court dances Mourat ever taught her. She had always thought them to be rather ridiculous and endlessly stuffy, but the tune was comfortingly familiar, and as it rippled from her bow, she began to move through the steps of the dance. Slow at first, then faster, the footwork becoming smaller and more energetic as the tempo increased. She closed her eyes, letting the memories dictate her steps, and they came to her as easily as breathing. With a final flourish and a deep bow to her invisible partner, she let the violin fade into silence.

Startled her from her reverie by the sound of delighted applause, Lux turned to find Morgan and Wilhelm sitting cross-legged on the deck. Morgan had been watching with rapt attention, while Wil had helped himself to some of her bourbon. Bottle in hand, he pointed to the Tiefling. “I know that one. Has some really self-explanatory name like Paired Palm-Up Royal Dance, right?”

“That’s the one.” Lux nodded. “Though I imagine it doesn’t look quite the same without the palms up.”

“I liked the foot parts! They were so graceful!” Morgan chirped. She looked at Wil, her head cocked. “Do you know how to dance too?”

“Of course,” the Half-Elf responded, puffing visibly. The world’s smallest dragon. “It was part of standard Academy education. Had to know all the etiquette to be a proper society man.” Always slightly more at ease with a bit of booze in him, Wil gestured broadly. “We learned every dance the Cornerian court had to offer.”

Lux lifted one violet brow. “Is that so? Do you remember all the steps, too?” Approaching from their tent, a freshly-conscious Sol smirked at the Tiefling’s obvious goading. She eased onto the deck a few paces behind Morgan and leaned back against a large coil of rope, settling in to watch the exchange.

Wil scoffed. “Do I! I’m hurt you would even ask. I remember all my Academy lessons, regardless of subject.”

“Get on up, then. Let’s go.” Setting her violin and bow in their open case, Lux presented her hand.

Realising the trap he had just walked into but entirely too full of himself to back down, Wil tugged on his goatee, took another swig of bourbon and accepted Lux’s hand. A slight swish of the Tiefling’s fingers brought the ghostly music to life and Wil sketched an elaborate bow, surprisingly steady on his feet given his impending intoxication. Lux grinned and dipped into a curtsy, her tail extending behind her like the train of a skirt. They straightened, stepped together, lifted their palms, and they were off.

True to his word, Wilhelm did indeed know every step, displaying a confident grace that only appeared in his least cognizant moments. They whirled and hopped in perfect time, each of their smiles broadening and finally breaking into breathless laughter. When the song concluded and they bowed again, Morgan burst into furious clapping. “Do another one, oh please do another!”

Pausing to catch her breath, Lux made a show of examining her dance partner with narrowed eyes. “Alright, Academy boy. Cornerian Maiden’s Dance?”

“One of the first ones I learned!” Wil retorted, snapping into position and offering his hand in a most gentlemanly fashion. Replying with the standard curtsy, Lux placed her fingertips on his and conjured the music. Her role in the dance was slightly less demure than in the previous demonstration, playing the role of the coquettish pursued as Wil played the pursuer, though it was still a formal court piece by her tavern-loving standards. They separated, passed, passed again, rejoined. Traditionally performed in groups of four, the Half-Elf was not to be fooled, modifying his steps along with Lux’s to become a pair instead of a quartet. As much as she tried to toy with him, he truly knew his part.

Lux nodded approvingly as the dance concluded. “I’m impressed! Let it ne’er be said you wasted your proper education, Doctor. But enough choreography, I think. Tell me: do you waltz?”

“Pravokan or Cornerian?” came the unhesitating reply.

“Leader’s choice, then!” Lux smirked, feeling her stage persona slipping over her like a perfectly fitted, glittering jacket. She missed performing. For her friends and her love, she was Aviva, singing from the heart, raw and vulnerable in her truth. Lux had come into being as a form of protection, but she had forgotten just how _fun_ it could be.

Clearly enjoying himself as much as she, Wil pondered for a moment. “Pravokan. More showy.” Morgan squealed with childlike joy as Half-Elf and Tiefling squared into position and the lilting music began. Despite Lux’s height, Wil made a fine partner, stepping almost on tiptoe to allow her enough headroom when he spun her. They turned and turned, rigid yet flowing, matching each other’s showmanship with ever more fanciful embellishments. He was a clever one indeed.

When this, too, concluded, Morgan’s eyes were wide. “You looked like two flowers on the surface of a pond!” From behind her, Sol chuckled softly. “I mean it!” she continued, explaining with her hands. “When the spring blossoms fall from the trees, they flutter and spin down to the water and the petals spread and keep them spinning. That’s what you looked like! I’d love to dance like that,” she concluded wistfully.

“I’d be happy to teach you, in just a moment.” Lux crouched before the Gnome, who nodded emphatically. “First,” she continued, with a sly glance up at Wil, “I have to see if our good Academy graduate knows how to paso doble.”

“What’s that?” Morgan asked, noting the slight blanching in Wilhelm’s cheeks. “Is it a hard one?”

“It’s not a dance for beginners, that’s for certain.” Peeking innocently at her dance partner, Lux rested her elbows on her knees and her chin on her knuckles. “Well, Doc?”

Wil folded his arms with a huff, thinking very hard. Then he uncurled, seized the bottle of bourbon and gulped down a mouthful. “Well, I can’t quit now.” Striking a barrel-chested pose, he looked pointedly at Lux. “Shall we?”

Lacking a wide-hemmed skirt, Lux gripped the tip of her tail in one hand as she rose to join the Half-Elf. “So we shall.” She held her other arm aloft, flicked her wrist and cast her musical spell. They stalked one another, circling, sensuous, posturing with wide gestures and sweeping legs. When they finally came together it was as if one tiny spark had lit a fire beneath them, the carefully controlled blaze sending them spiralling into dramatic twists and bends. Just when it seemed they would lose themselves completely, the music slowed, then they joined it as it came to its abrupt, climactic end.

Panting as Morgan clapped, Lux beamed. “Nicely done, sir. You do the Academy proud.” Too elated and out of breath to continue playing at arrogance, Wil merely returned her grin. He really could be quite wonderful when he got out of his own way. Lux leaned close and murmured something in his ear, and once he nodded and moved to sit, she turned to the Gnome. “Still want to learn?”

“Yes!” Morgan was already on her feet. “Oh, yes!”

Lux caught Sol’s eye. “How about you, sunshine?”

The Drow shook her head. “I’m fine here, thank you.” But she held Lux’s gaze, and a moment later a voice whispered in the Tiefling’s mind: _Maybe later_. Lux smiled as she took Morgan’s hand.

Teaching a pupil half her size was no easy task, and it took every technique she had seen Mourat use when instructing children to be able to accomplish it. Morgan did not take to dancing quite as easily as she took to languages, but she learned quickly, following Lux’s footsteps with an artisan’s focus. As they practiced, the last of the sun’s rays disappeared on the horizon and the first stars twinkled to life in their place, the moon moving high overhead.

Finally, Lux tilted her chin. “Don’t look now, but I think you’re ready. Do you feel ready? Want to try it all together with the music?”

“I think so.” Morgan sounded unsure. “Are you going to be okay doing it with me? I know it’s hard with us being so different in size.”

“Thankfully, we have a solution for that,” Lux answered, her eyes sparkling. “Wil?”

Several shots further into the bottle of bourbon, Wil grunted an eldritch incantation. Morgan frowned in confusion, then started at the miniature (though still comparatively tall) Lux standing before her. “You’re me-sized!!” Lux winked and started the music.

Though Lux started by counting aloud, Morgan executed the steps she had learned perfectly, and eventually Lux stopped narrating the movements altogether. The Gnome’s smile grew with each passing, twirling measure, and when the music faded, she threw her arms around Lux’s neck, seizing the opportunity to hug her as an equal. “That was wonderful! Thank you!” She released the Tiefling and turned to Wil almost shyly. “And thank you!” Wil winked and shot a fingergun at her in return, the action distracting him enough to forget his spell and send Lux popping back to her original size. Morgan giggled as Lux shook off the momentary dizziness, then she yawned a mighty yawn. “Oh, it’s late. I think I’m going to go to bed.” She smiled again, allowing the sudden onset of drowsiness to take hold. “This was really, really wonderful.”

Lux grinned and bobbed her head. “We’ve got another week before we make landfall. We can practice any time you like.” Sinking to a knee, she gave Morgan a regular-sized embrace. After the Gnome said the rest of her goodnights and retired to her hammock, the Tiefling peered at Wil. “I suspect it’s bedtime for you too, Professor. There are extra jars of pickles in the galley. Don’t eat them all in one go.”

“Now Lux,” Wil slurred, “I can handle myself, I assure you. I’m an accomplished academic with everything that comes with that and oh I think it’s time I put myself to bed.” Lux almost laughed as she watched Wil’s stream of consciousness change course when he saw her expression. He rose, saluted her with the bottle, looked at the bottle, then delicately put it down and shuffled towards the doorway leading below decks.

Sleep tugged at the corners of her own mind as well, but Lux wasn’t willing to let the night end just yet. She looked at her dajyr, still resting against the coil of rope. “Do _you_ waltz, sunshine?”

“Pravokan or Cornerian?” Sol answered with a smirk.

Lux matched the curl in the Drow’s lip, then softened into a smile. “Cornerian. Less showy.” Rising to her feet, she spread her arms wide and waited. Sol pretended to consider, then pushed herself up from the deck and slid her arm around Lux’s waist, comfortably claiming the lead. The Tiefling’s brows rose, as pleased as she was surprised, and cast her spell as she settled her hand into Sol’s.

They moved slowly, fluidly, matching the unhurried steadiness of the magical melody. The stiffness in their frames melted as they danced, drawing them closer, until Sol’s head rested against Lux’s cheek and Lux’s arm snaked over both shoulders. Their footsteps slowed to little more than a sway, never quite stilling, a gradual revolution.

“You dance as beautifully as you sing,” Haluei’en murmured, her breath warm against the hollow of Aviva’s throat. “And you have a rare gift.”

“Calling out self-aggrandising academics?” Her words were saucy, but her voice was gentle.

“Bringing us together.”

Aviva huffed a soft laugh, pressing her nose into the Drow’s white hair, and wove a new song.

**Author's Note:**

> Title song by Sia.
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr at @expressandadmirable for a proper table of contents for the Heroes campaign, commissioned character art, text-based roleplay snippets and more!


End file.
